Three rescued from capsized sailboat near Alexandria, Va.

Mar 23rd, 2016 · Comments Off on Three rescued from capsized sailboat near Alexandria, Va.

The 25-foot sailboat, which capsized Wednesday, March 23, 2016, with three boaters aboard in the Potomac River near Alexandria, Va. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Stuart Henderson)

BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard rescued three boaters Wednesday from the Potomac River near Alexandria, Va.

A 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Coast Guard Station Washington was already underway when they heard a call for assistance over VHF marine radio channel 16 at approximately 3 p.m.

The crew diverted from their mission and arrived on scene within a couple of minutes where a 25-foot sailboat capsized, and three boaters were in the water.

There were no reports of injuries.

An Alexandria Fire boat crew arrived on scene and assisted in towing the sailboat back to shore.

“Incidents such as this serve to remind boaters that the water is a very dynamic environment and can rapidly become quite dangerous,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jebediah Roguski, Station Washington’s officer of the day. “Although we are currently experiencing very comfortable air temperatures the water temperature is still quite cold and hypothermia is a very serious concern in this environment. Fortunately these boaters were highly prepared; they were wearing life jackets and had a waterproof radio available to call out for assistance when their sailboat capsized. This coupled with Coast Guard Station Washington’s aggressive patrol schedule and density of agencies on the water in the area made for a rapid rescue of all persons.”